Udaipur- The Land of Legendary Intro

The land of
the renowned saint Mira Bai and determined Maharana Prata. Udaipur, means the land of dawn and is
popularly known as the 'city of lakes'. Udaipur is a lively world of scrub
forests, lakes, monuments and even wild animals and surprises you with its
glassy lakes in the midst of desert Rajasthan.

The capital
of former Mewar, Udaipur is a storehouse of attractive monuments in white
marble, ornamental royal gardens and ancient temples.

The origin
of history of Udaipur begins with a
famous local legend according to which Maharana Udai Singhji chanced upon a
holy sage meditating on the Aravalli hills, who advised the king to establish a
kingdom on this fertile valley bound by the rugged Aravalli's.

Thus Maharan
Udai Singhji laid the foundations of the Udaipur city in the year 1559 A.D.
Maharana Udai Singh was a descendant of the mighty Sisodias who claim their
descent from the sun god, Surya.

Legendary Founding of Mewar

The capital of Mewar, Udaipur was founded by
Maharana Udai Singh after the fall of Chittor to Akbar in 1568. Although the
Rajputs were unnerved out of their capital and they never gave up their sense
of freedom, choosing to give up their lives in dignity and honor instead.
Legend says that Maharana Udai Singh was out for hunting one day and he came
upon a wise seated beside the Pichola Lake. The sage said that the king would
build his palace at the same site, and then the fortunes of his family would
change.

The Maharana Udai Singh built a small
place of pilgrimage, called as Dhuni
Mata, to mark the spot which is now the oldest part of the City Palace. Maharana Udai Singh chose the
site of Udaipur for his new capital and built an artificial lake named Udai
Sagar after himself.

The city remained untouched by Mughals

Sisodias, or
the Guhilots (Suryavansh) have ruled the Mewar region since V.S 191, and were
against Mughal dominion, and tried to distance themselves from them.

Being in a hilly region and inappropriate for
heavily armored Mughal horses. Udaipur remained unmolested from the influence
of Mughals in spite of much pressure. Rana Fateh Singh of Udaipur was the only
royal personality who was not present in
the Delhi Durbar for King George V in 1911. This ferocious sense of
independence earned them the highest gun salute in Rajasthan, 19 against the 17
each of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bundi, Bikaner, Kota and Karauli.